Gili Air, Indonesia

The medium sized Gili Island, Gili Air seems to be the perfect middle way as it doesn’t have the party atmosphere that Gili Trawangan has, but isn’t as quiet as Gili Meno. It also has a larger local population than its neighbours although this doesn’t mean that travelers don’t still come here in numbers – they do, but it can just feel a little less like a tourist island (like Gili T). If you are looking for a compromise between serenity, crowds, and facilities, then Gili Air may be a good place to start. It’s also the closest of the Gilis to Lombok and so is the fastest and easiest to get to.

Explore the island

As with all the three Gili Islands, the best thing to do is to explore the island either by walk or by bike. A lot of the island has some deeper sand, which means that you can only properly bike for about 50% of the island. When walking around you’ll find a lot of little shops and cute boutiques where you can buy things for a decent price.

Diving and Snorkelling

When you walk on Gili Air, you’ll find plenty of boards advertising the word ‘Padi’, so there’s definitely of a lot to do when it comes to diving. Not only that, you’ll see plenty of people snorkeling quiet closely to the shore. The corals seem a bit better than Gili Meno, but you won’t be blown away with it.

Our Thoughts

Gili Air seems a bit similar like the other islands, but that is because they are all about the same size with the same activities. Gili Air however seems a great middle way of the other two islands. You’ve got only one party a week in one location, good facilities (including an ATM) and lots of options for food. That makes the island the perfect place for families and all people who just want to come and relax while being able to do different things on the island.

Travel Tips Gili Air

Best time to visit Gili Air – between June and September are the best months due to the dry season

Costs Gili Air Gili Air is in general more expensive than the mainland of Indonesia. This makes sense as it is a frequently visited touristic destination, however it does offer some good value. There’s an ATM situated in the middle of the island, so you’ll be able to get some hard needed cash when you’ve spent too much.

Transport Gili Air There is not much transport at Gili Air, at least not any motorized traffic. You’ll be able to rent a bike, although it needs to be said that half of the island has some deeper sand that isn’t great for biking. You’ll have a horse cart but we wouldn’t recommend it as the horses don’t seem to be in good shape. Do you need to know how to get to Gili Air? Just scroll down this page as we’ve written it down for you!

Accommodation Gili AirYou won’t have difficulty finding accommodation on Gili Air as it is widely available. It doesn’t matter whether you’re into backpacking or into more luxury, as you’ll find both lots of different accommodations. Of course we’ve selected some of the nicest accommodations for you down this page, just click here to get there!

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